Binding the Broken Ties that Bound Us
by AngelicSummer
Summary: Juli's discovery of Joachim's missing records grant MOMO's biggest and most wanted wish. Two years after that, coincidence strikes and the Elsa finds its way back to the start. The travelers reunite with those left behind. How does this reunion go?
1. A New Life

**"Binding the Broken Ties that Bound Us"  
**_by AngelicSummer_

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**A/N: **This is my first fanfic, so it's probably going to suck, but hey, at least I tried. Yes, this fic is mostly MOMO-Jr. centric, so if you don't have much taste for this pairing, I suggest you turn back now. This would also contain mild spoilers for XSIII, so if you STILL haven't played it or finished it and don't want spoilers, either skip them or turn back. The Prologue is set right after Xenosaga III, while the rest is set two years after. What's the change that happened to MOMO, you ask? Well, read!

One more thing, the Prologue (the one below) is SUPPOSED to be short, so please don't complain about that. I hope this goes well. Rated T mostly for Jr.'s ever-so-wonderful mouth and partly because the game is rated T.

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_**Prologue - A New Life**_

A tall brunette woman looked upon her "daughter", a petite pink-haired girl. The little girl looked very sad. Her eyes drooped as well as the rest of her looked down on the ground from the bed she was sitting on in a room given to her by Scientia. Juli Mizrahi, the woman, felt her daughter's sadness surge through her body. Though she may not know the complete reason for her daughter's sadness, she felt like she was troubling upon the same situation her daughter's in. She approached her daughter slowly and gently stroked her head like a good mother would. Soothingly, she asked, "What is troubling you, MOMO? Are you all right?"

MOMO's head lifted up a bit and she looked straight into her mother's eyes while her own are reflecting the sadness that's been causing her to be down. Seeing this, Juli once more felt the sadness surge through her and flinched a bit, as if feeling her daughter's pain. She stroked her daughter's head again, and then pulled her into a motherly hug.

The little girl smiled and hugged her mother back, feeling a little bit better. "I'm all right, Mommy," she said reassuringly, though part of her still felt the sadness. "Thank you," she said gratefully with a small smile on her face, just to let her mother know that she's doing fine.

Juli smiled back, but she knew that there was still something troubling MOMO. She patted her daughter's head and told her, "Let's go home and call it a day, all right? You've been working hard lately. Let's take a rest, even for just a day."

MOMO nodded in agreement. She can't possibly say no to her mother can she? Even if she wanted to stay a little while and work more.

With that, they both stood up and headed out.

* * *

MOMO felt a little happy as she entered through the familiar doors of her home. This is the house that she lived in since Juli invited her to just... a year ago? The exterior of the house remained whitewash as she remembered it along with the picket fence and the garden swing that hung on their front porch. The interior isn't as white as the exterior, but it was a very light shade of cream. The stairways; however, were fully furnished brown and you can even see your reflection on it. MOMO's room is just on the second story of the house, at the end of the corridor. The door was white, but inside there was absolutely no trace of the white that decorated almost the whole house. Her dresser was furnished brown like the stairway. The carpet that lay down on the floor was a furry purple while the walls were "furry" pink. MOMO had decorated most of the room with her stuffed animals, mostly Bunnies. She had a simple and cotton ball-soft red bed by the side, near the purple-framed windows. On the other side, by her dresser, MOMO had a desk furnished-brown like the dresser standing beside it. The desk was pretty big and convenient, with little shelves and a wide variety of drawers on it. She could stuff her other items in that desk no problem. Yes, this is her home and she missed it.

With a smile, MOMO ran up to her room. Juli felt a little comforted that she was able to lift her daughter's spirits even just a little. She then headed into a small library right beside her own room. Juli had forgotten about that library for the longest time that it was completely untidy.

"Oh, dear. It seems that maybe I have some cleaning to do," she said with a small chuckle to herself.

* * *

MOMO had noticed that it was well past 7 in the evening and she was starving. She swiftly picked herself up from her bed and ran down the stairs. To her surprise, her mother wasn't in the kitchen cooking like she always used to be before she temporarily left for the mission. "I know!" MOMO said with an imaginary lightbulb flicking over her head, "I'll cook for mommy to show that I love her! She'd be surprised!"

She quickly grabbed the Bunnie pan that she insisted chaos to buy for her when he was still here with her and the others. After that, she took the other necessary utensils and ingredients to make the curry that Shion had taught her before. She knew that she wasn't as good as Shion yet in terms of curry, but at least she can make her mommy happy!

After half an hour...

MOMO wiped a bit of sweat off her forehead with her wrists as she gazed on her finished curry. It looked scrumptious! She smiled proudly at her work and couldn't wait to eat it along with her mommy. Then, she noticed something, "Uh... where is mommy?" she asked herself.

She then exited the kitchen and looked around the house in search for Juli.

* * *

The clock read 7:30 PM. "Oh, have I been in here for that long? MOMO might be getting worried," she told herself. She was about to exit the library when she noticed a golden folder stuffed full with documents and records placed on a nearby desk. "What is this? Joachim's?" she asked as she gently lifted it off. She opened the folder and looked through its contents. Her eyes and her smile grew wider with each word that she read from it. "MOMO would certainly be happy when she sees this!" she told herself excitedly, fixated on the joy that this would bring upon her adorable daughter.

"Mommy? Where are you?" Juli heard MOMO call from outside. She closed the folder and headed out the library. MOMO happened to be passing by and noticed Juli come out of the library which she didn't notice before. Seeing her mother's head pop out, she jumped up and down excitedly, like the little girl she is, and said in an anticipated tone, "There you are, mommy! Come on, I have a surprise for you!" She grabbed her mother's hand and dragged her into the dining room, not noticing what was in her mother's hand.

Juli wondered for a moment at what her daughter wanted to show her until she saw the meal her daughter has so-lovingly prepared on the dining table. She then felt hunger and looking at the meal seemed to stimulate her appetite. Juli looked down on her daughter who was looking at her with happy eyes.

"What do you think, mommy?" she asked excitedly.

Juli smiled at her daughter and said, "This is... amazing. Thank you very much, MOMO."

MOMO smiled a wider smile and anticipated her mother to eat, "Come on, mommy! Let's eat!"

Juli chuckled at her daughter's enthusiasm and sat down across her daughter and they both started to have their dinner. _'It looks like I'd have to show her later," _Juli thought.

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An hour had already passed after their meal and MOMO felt sleep is trying to overpower her when she heard a knock on her bedroom door. It would be Juli, no doubt. Seeing as there's no one else in the house besides her and Juli. She promptly stood up and approached the door to open it. As expected, Juli was standing right there.

"MOMO, I'd like you to read this," Juli said in her usual gentle voice as she handed MOMO the folder that she found lying around the library earlier. MOMO took it from her mother's hand and opened it. There, she found plenty of documents left behind by her late father, Joachim Mizrahi. It wasn't the kind of thing that was as dark and important as the Y-Data inside her. They were more like personal documents about him and his newfound daughter, MOMO.

MOMO didn't hesitate to start reading them. As she progressed through the papers, she started to smile, then her smile and even her eyes grew wider in excitement. After reading, she was almost teary-eyed with happiness. She looked up to her mother, who looked as happy as she was. "Oh, mommy, is this really true? Am I going to be...?" she asked.

She stroked her daughter's head and smiled reassuringly, "It is, MOMO. It is."

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**A/N: **Okay! That ends our prologue. Quite short isn't it? Wait... I already said that it was supposed to be short.

I'd really appreciate reviews right now. Stupid verb tenses confused me. My english teacher didn't really make sense... oh wait, she's a teacher, she's not supposed to make sense. Flames aren't welcomed, but CC (constructive criticism) is. Geez, this is what I get for trying to write fanfictions while listening to Japanese music.

**~Summer**


	2. I Miss You, But Do You Miss Me Too?

**A/N: **Okay, this is Chapter One. You're going to see what MOMO was so excited about from the Prologue here. BTW, Chapter One takes place two years after the end of the Prologue. The whole story of the "excitement" isn't here, but the more important part of it is.

Okay! Here goes nothing. This one can be pretty cheesy, let's see how you can handle this. I also got figure-of-speech-happy with this one. Talk about battalions of soldiers.

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_**Chapter One - I Miss You, But Do You Miss Me Too?**_

A pink-haired girl stirred uncomfortably in her bed as she slept. She seemed to have a terrible nightmare haunting her. Unable to take the stress of it, she woke up with a jolt, nearly screaming. The pink-haired girl hyperventilated. It was as if she just escaped a haunted house that she was trapped in for a long long long time and lost her pursuit.

The pink-haired girl had an average height of 5'6. She had a creamy white skin and her eyes shone like topaz and gold... butter, like butterscotch. Her hair was wavy pink and it went until below her chest. She had a bit of pink curls at either side of her face and it framed her face as if it was an angelic picture passionately painted by the most talented young artist. The girl, or young woman, wore a creamy pink nightgown that ended just below her knees. Her nightgown had beautiful laces as pink as her hair on the collar and sleeves. Her figure is perfect, like an hourglass. There's no mistaking it, this girl is MOMO, the same 100-Series Observational Realian Prototype from 2 years ago, but she has grown into a young woman.

When MOMO had calmed down, she fixed her gaze upon the pink bunnie alarm clock (old habits die hard) by her nightstand. The clock read 2:30 AM. Mr. Sun isn't even awake from his slumber yet. MOMO sighed exasperatedly. _'I seem to be getting these nightmares more often nowadays... I wonder what's causing them? It's like all my good memories with him are disturbed and become bad memories, and then they attack me as if they were angry battalions of soldiers launching a full-scale invasion against the worst of their archenemies,'_ MOMO thought in her head, _"Maybe I should go for a walk in the park? ... Oh wait a minute, did I just think about the park? Hm... I guess I'm still longing for the park in the Durandal,' _she sighed once more, _'After all, the Durandal Park always kept me calm when I'm lacking sleep, but... the Durandal isn't here anymore... I'm picking up bad memories again,' _MOMO shook her head to forget it. She seemed to be catching some bad memories too lately. _'I guess I shouldn't let it bother me, but I think I really should go for a walk. Oh wait, what if Doctus catches me? That won't be nice. I'll get in trouble again. I'll just try and sleep again. Maybe they won't bother me again,' _MOMO thought optimistically.

MOMO lay on her side and sighed exasperatedly while part of her hair hovered over her face. She paid it no mind. Her eyes slowlyclosed, but she couldn't make herself sleep because of fear; fear that her nightmares would come back to haunt her. No matter how much she tried to think positively, it just won't work. Instead, her mind drifted off to daydream...

_The scenery is breathtaking. A countless sparkling stars decorated the moonlit night sky. MOMO, still wearing her nightgown, sat on a red bench in the middle of a forest-park decorated with trees, blooming flowers, shrubs and herbs of all kinds. Glowing fireflies lightened up the scenery. MOMO's topaz eyes shone like the stars hanging above her, whilst the moon smiled upon her, as if feeling the joy surging through her. She sat there with a flawless white smile on her face, waiting for someone special._

_"Hey, MOMO!" a familiar voice called out from almost out of nowhere. She didn't have to look to see who it is, her little heart jumped at the voice and her head perked up involuntarily in delight. Her head then turned to glance at the direction HIS voice came from. As she had expected, a redheaded cerulean-eyed boy wearing red-white striped PJs came running towards her._

_She stood up from her seat right away. "Jr.!" she beamed joyously. MOMO ran towards him to meet him and gave him a big bear hug._

_"Whoa!" said Jr. in surprise, but graciously returned the bear hug that MOMO lovingly gave him._

_After a few seconds, MOMO pulled away a bit, though not necessarily out of the hug. Her eyes smiled with joy for him. "I missed you so much..." she told him, as if it wasn't obvious already. "I'm SO happy to see you again!" she exclaimed happily, nearly teary-eyed, and then hugged him again._

_Jr. lovingly stroked MOMO's head. "I missed you a lot too," he whispered silently in her ear. He closed his eyes and felt the moment, embracing her tightly, allowing his head to rest upon hers._

_MOMO closed her eyes too and was soon engulfed by the embrace. She loved this feeling, being in Jr.'s arms... even though she's only imagining this._

_Suddenly, a dark shadow-like figure appeared behind Jr. and he didn't notice it. MOMO tried to warn him by screaming, but no sound came out of her mouth. It was as if her throat had run completely dry. In panic, she pulled away and frantically pointed her finger at the shadow, still soundless._

_Seeing MOMO's reaction, Jr. spun around and saw a faceless figure now in front of him. "Crap!" he shouted in shock at what he suddenly saw. Instinctively, he took MOMO's hand and ran from it with her as fast as they can._

_MOMO nearly tumbled over behind him, she felt as if she just woke up from a trance. She turned her head to look behind her and she saw that the figure was on their tails. Her eyes widened in fear and she got Jr. to run faster. She looked at Jr.'s face, and finally managed to say, "Jr. what is that?"_

_Jr. shook his head in confusion, "I don't know, MOMO," he said, "but I'm pretty sure it's not here to be friends with us, that bastard."_

_MOMO and Jr. slowed down against their wills. Not only because they're really tired and literally gasping for air, it's also because whatever-it-was seems to cause them to slow down. They struggled to run faster and faster, but they only got slower. Jr. spotted a seemingly-safe place over a nearby bush, and in his will to protect MOMO, he pushed her there and allowed himself to be engulfed by the shadow. Then the shadow was no more, along with the fiery redhead that it engulfed._

_"Jr., NOOOOOO!!!!!" MOMO screamed._

MOMO shot up again with a jolt like she did when she woke up from her nightmare. The only thing is that, this time even her daydreams are not safe. What she thought was the only safe thing she can escape to when she can't sleep is now just as unsafe as her nightmares.

Then she heard frantic knocking on her door, "MOMO? MOMO? Are you all right?" her mother asked in a half-worried and half-frantic voice.

After she took a deep breath, she answered, "I'm okay, mom. Don't worry."

Juli didn't believe a word of it, and entered the room. She still looked the same she used to, only with her hair being a bit longer. She approached her daughter's bed and sat down near her still-hyperventilating daughter. She put her hand on MOMO's head, like she used to do before, and soothingly asked her, "Are those haunting you again?"

MOMO looked down sadly. When she looked up to face her mother, her eyes were filled with the saddest of tears. She couldn't make the words come out, so she just nodded and cried on her mother's shoulder.

_'I miss you, but do you miss me too?' _MOMO thought in her head.

* * *

"CRAP!" the voice of an irritated boy echoed. The boy almost jumped out of his bed with a jolt as he woke up from his taunting nightmare. His fiery hair messed up, his cerulean eyes hinted with anger and fear, and his seemingly new 5'6 body trembling.

At the sound of that, three blonde guys woke up in unison and stared at the source of the noise. One of them, a muscular one, asked him, "Hey, are you all right, Little Master?"

The boy looked down and scratched his head in embarrasment, "I... uh... yeah. I'm all right. Sorry if I woke you guys up with all my racket," he said apologetically.

"Are you sure, Little Master?" another, a skinny one with eyeglasses, asked.

"Yeah," he said simply. "Now let's get back to sleep. Good thing I didn't wake up the captain," he said with a smile.

"Well, if you say so, Little Master." the muscular one said. Then, all the three blonde guys went back to sleep in a snap of a finger... in unison.

"Geez, those guys are weird sometimes," he commented.

_"Hey, don't forget me. You woke me up too," _a familiar voice echoed through his ears.

Jr.'s head perked up as he heard the voice, "Huh? Albedo?" he asked.

_"That's right, Rubedo. Did you miss your dear brother?" _he asked sarcastically.

"Huh, like hell I would," he rolled his eyes.

_"Oh really, Rubedo? I sure missed you." _

"Haha. Very funny. Now get back to sleep," he snapped at him.

_"What? I just woke up, Rubedo, do you want me to sleep again right away? I'm sure you'd miss me if I did."_

Now Jr. is starting to have his temper broken, "ALBEDO, JUST SHUT UP AND SLEEP!"

_"Sleep? Oh, you probably just want to see ma peche again, isn't that right? Of course, the only other way you can see her is through your dreams. Too bad someone's fiddling with them. Now I wonder who that is?"_

"Albedo, YOU'RE messing my dreams up?!" he accused, though it sounded more like jumping to conclusions instead of simply accusing.

_"Oh, but of course not. I just woke up, Rubedo. Now why do you want to see ma peche? Is it because you miss her? Or is it because you love her enough that you've already forgotten that girl she was modeled after... that SAKURA?" _Albedo taunted, giving emphasis on the last word.

"Mind your own business, Albedo," Jr. hissed, but that question obviously got Jr. off-guard.

_"Now, I wonder if ma peche misses you too? Do you think she does, JUNIOR?" _Albedo taunted on, laughing at the name given to him.

"Albedo......." he hissed in a warning tone.

_"Oh but perhaps not? Maybe she's found someone else back there when you left her? After all, she did want to come didn't she? But she was left there, isn't that depressing? I bet ma peche has found someone else to love there, since you just went away and left her without even knowing wherever the hell you're going." _Albedo tormented.

"ALBEDO, YOU SON OF A-" Jr. shouted at the top of his lungs, fuming angry, but then he stopped when he realized that the other three are starting to wake up while the captain remains unshaken.

_"Oh... you better keep your voice down, LITTLE MASTER, or else you'll be waking up your crew at such an early time of the day. Ah, such bliss."_

Jr. sighed, trying to keep his temper in control. "Albedo, Just. Get. Back. To. Sleep."

_"I... can't sleep."_

"You can't?" Jr. asked in confusion. "Then... then just grab a random heavy object like a mallet and wham it on your head!"

_"Oh please, like I have the body needed to do that." _

"Oh," he muttered in realization, "well, what do you want?"

_"A bedtime story perhaps?"_

"WHAT?" he exclaimed.

_"Ah, well you don't want that? Then just bore me until I shut up."_

"Bore you? Hm..." Jr. put his hand on his chin and tried to think of a way to bore his pain-in-the-ass brother to sleep, then he thought of a random thing. "Well, what about counting Gaignuns jumping over a horse bar?" he asked.

_"Nigredo? Jumping over a horse bar? What is that supposed to do?"_

"Huh. Well, I reckon that counting sheep jumping over a fence was a popular tactic to sleep back in the Lost Jerusalem Era. Just count Gaignun this time."

_"Can't I count something else?"_

"Do whatever you want."

_"One Sakura, two Ma Peche, three Sakura, four Ma Peche..."_

"GODAMMIT, ALBEDO!" he shouted again.

_"Well, I'm sorry. I don't know how to count. Five Sakura, six Ma Peche..."_

Jr. groaned loud and long this time. Albedo was seriously getting on his nerves. He just lay on his side and drifted off to sleep while Albedo kept counting Sakuras and his Peaches.

Moments later, Jr. screamed again, louder this time, "GODDAMN CRAP IT, MOMO!"

This time, everyone on the Elsa woke up and came rushing to the men's cabin, asking questions all at once.

_"Ooh... looks like Rubedo's gathered up one angry mob."_

A brunette bluish-green-eyed woman in her mid-20's made her way through the crowd. All she wore is a white thigh-length shirt and her hair is a mess. "What is the matter with you, Jr.?" she asked, obviously irritated to have her sleep disturbed.

"Uh... sorry everyone. I guess I kinda zoned out and these things started coming to me," he said apologetically while scratching his head in embarrasment, just like earlier.

"Things?" the woman asked, now concerned. While the others just nodded and left.

"Uh, yeah, Shion. I guess I caught the nightmare bug." he said, trying to shake off the subject.

"What nightmare?" Shion asked. She was obviously not going to drop the subject until Jr. tells her.

Jr. scratched his head, "It's uh, nothing."

"Jr., spit it out!" Shion insisted.

"God, how do I say this?" he muttered to himself, then he turned to face Shion. "Well, it started out a dream. I met MOMO in a forest-park nearby a red bench. The moment was so perfect until a shadow-like figure came up behind her. So I took her and ran. As we ran, we seemed to slow down against our wills, not just because we're tired, but also because it seemed that it was causing us to," he paused to take a deep breath, then continued, "In her... attempt to save me, she threw me into a safe bush then she was..." he swallowed hard, "she was engulfed by the shadow, then the shadow disappeared along with her."

"Oh..." Shion muttered, understanding the cause. She put her hand on his shoulder in sympathy, "You miss her, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" he said, half-shouting.

"I'm sure she misses you too, Jr., I doubt that she wouldn't." she said encouragingly.

Jr. just sighed, "Yeah... thanks, Shion."

"Anytime," she said with a smile, and then she turned to leave, but then she turned her head and warned him, "Don't mind those nightmares much. The more you do the more they'll taunt you." With that, she left.

_"I see. So that's what's causing you trouble, isn't it?"_

"Albedo, I swear to God if you're causing that..."

_"Don't get your horses in a knot, Rubedo. I was too busy counting that I didn't notice you fall asleep."_

"Counting?"

_"Forty-five Sakura, forty-six Ma Peche..."_

"You. Are. Driving. Me. Nuts."

_"It took you that long to realize it?"_

"Tch. Whatever, get back to your muttering." he snapped as he tried to catch some more sleep.

_'I miss you, but do you miss me too?' _Jr. thought.

* * *

**A/N: **Whew! Well, that took a while! BTW, Aiselne, if you're reading this, I hope you don't mind basing off that sheep thing with Albedo and Jr. Sorry about that, but if you DO mind, just tell me and I'll change it.

All reviews and CC appreciated! I suck at portraying Albedo T.T I'm not evil enough.

**~Summer**


	3. I Carry the Hope of All Realians!

**A/N: **Okay, so this is Chapter Two. This one would be pretty much a flashback chapter. So for those of you who don't want XSIII spoilers, skip this. For those of you interested, then please do read.

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**Chapter Two - I Carry the Hope of All Realians!**

Juli left the room not long ago. MOMO sat in a squatting position on her bed. In her fear to sleep or to daydream, all she can do is stare at the wall or remember the fun times she had before. "I wonder if I would be tormented like this if I'm with them on the Elsa? I wonder if... if all these things would be happening to me if I'm with them? I know that it's selfish for me, but I wanted to have come with them..." she muttered under her breath to herself. She closed her eyes and remembered the time when she was left behind.

_"You're going already?" Juli asked Shion gently as she held on to MOMO's shoulders, but with concern hinted in her voice, "The only clue we have is the fragmented information left in the Y-Data, and with the loss of the U.M.N. you won't be able to use any transfer-flight methods, all you have in your disposal is normal flight. I'm afraid that it's going to be a little different" she added. As if trying to convince them to stay._

_"Yes. I know I made a promise to chaos. I know that somehow I'll reach Lost Jerusalem," Shion sade reassuringly with a smile on her face as she held on to the railing, remembering her last moments with her friend, chaos._

_Juli let go of MOMO's shoulders as she walked towards Shion, taking off her beret, "Shion I... May I? I want to go with you, Shion," she said with a sincere, pleading look in her eyes as she looked up to her friend._

_"Thank you so much, MOMO," Shion said as she let go of the railing. She approached MOMO and put her hands on her shoulders and bent at her height, "but you know, you already have something to do here. You'll be working with Scientia to construct a brand-new network. Make sure you do your very best," she reminded her thoughtfully.  
_

_MOMO could do nothing but agree, "Okay," she said in a defeated voice, "I will, Shion," then she turned her head to her redheaded friend, "Jr.,"_

_"Yeah," Jr. said, "MOMO, we'll be gone for a little while, so take care of this place."_

_"Okay! Um..." she stammered as she looked down on the ground._

_Jr. looked at her quizzically, "What is it?" he asked._

_"Will you be sure to say 'hello' to Albedo for me?" she asked._

_Jr. smiled, "Yeah, I'll pass on the message when he wakes up, but he's pretty lazy so I don't know when that'll be." he joked._

_MOMO giggled at Jr.'s comment._

_Jr. then turned his back and walked, but then stopped, "Ziggy," he addressed, "take care of MOMO and Juli for us, okay?" he requested, but it was something Ziggy would never say no to._

_"Yes, of course." Ziggy said in a gruff voice, "Don't worry, concentrate on your mission."_

_Jr. turned his head and smiled at Ziggy. He prompted to do the same._

_While Miyuki was crying in the background, Shion bade farewell, "See you soon, until then."_

_With that, the Elsa launched to take-off._

_As they watched the Elsa leave, Togashi and MOMO waved their hands "goodbye", while Miyuki was doing it as if she was on overdrive. MOMO looked like she was about to cry as she held little Alby in her arms, 'I'll be waiting for you. I'll keep waiting until you finally come back. Good luck, see you soon.' she thought, and then managed out a little smile as she forced back her tears._

MOMO sighed, "Maybe if I was strong enough I could've gone with them... Mommy might have let me, including Ziggy."

MOMO lay down on her side again, just as she did when she daydreamed, but this one is different. Instead, she started to sing:

_The moon is gone  
And the night is still so dark  
I'm a little bit afraid of tomorrow  
For this day was so long and hard for me  
And I've lost some of the things so far I have trusted_

_Now I will close my heart and sleep a while  
Bless my dream with gentle darkness  
Until I could have my strength  
To wait for the light  
Maybe tomorrow...._

_I've come through  
Some betrayal, some old pains,  
Some addiction to the love  
And some good-byes_

_Like you did,  
Like mother, father did,  
I will cry a little while  
And wait for tomorrow_

_There's no way to be free from the loneliness  
It took so long for me to notice  
But now I am on my way to find my light  
Maybe this day....  
Maybe tomorrow...._

_I will sleep a while, until the dawn wakes me up again  
I still believe....come what may...._

_There is no way to be free from love  
Deeper we sink in the darkness  
Brighter it shines in our hearts  
The lights of love_

_The moon is gone  
And the night is still so dark  
I'm a little bit afraid of tomorrow  
But I will go....  
I'll go over....  
I will go...._

MOMO remembered the times when she was unable to defend herself. If she was strong enough, she wouldn't have caused others the trouble she did. If she was strong enough, Jr. would not have to save her from the Song of Nephilim as before; she could've saved herself without giving him all the trouble. _'I miss him so much,' _ she thought, _'but I guess I just have to do my best to help out. After all, I promised him and Shion that would give my very best._ _Maybe I should just forget about being strong and stuff. I'm a healer, not an attacker. Besides, chaos is counting on all of us. There's no time for me to wander off in my thoughts. Everyone's counting on me to participate well in the construction of this new network. Even daddy believes it,' _she thought, and then stopped at the thought of her late father.

_"This child will surely become the hope of all Realians. That hope may become a way to stop the looming threat of the expansion of the universe," _she remembered him say to her when she talked to him back in Old Miltia. It was then that MOMO realized just how much she meant to her father, so she can't let him down ever! _'I may not be strong physically, but inside me I carry the hope of Realians and I can help save the universe! Just you wait Shion, Jr., chaos and Daddy! I'm going to prove that I'm not any more a little girl! I must... believe in myself and in my abilities. I'm going to make everyone proud of me! Surely, when he comes back with the good news of Lost Jerusalem, I'll be handing him the good news of the brand-new network! No nightmare is going to stop me, not now! I'm going to fight them off like I fought off the Gnosis back there in Michtam! I'm going to fight like Allen did so he could protect Shion!'_

_**

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**_

**A/N: **Ah, crap. That didn't go well. Too much italics. For those of you who don't recognize the song, it's "Maybe Tomorrow ~ Ending Medley" sung by Emily Curtis and composed by Yuki Kajiura. I in no way am claiming it. Oops, that made me remember that I forgot to put the disclaimer tags XD Ironic though, MOMO's own bashing of her self-esteem made her regain it.

So I'll be drafting Chapter Three next. It should be a little more fun.

**~Summer**

* * *


	4. It's Second Miltia! Holy Crap!

**A/N: **I'm really sorry if I took too long to update! Crappy schedule :|

Whoops, I forgot to attach this tag to my previous chapters. Oh well:

**DISCLAIMER:** As much as I'd love to, I do NOT own Xenosaga and everything in it except for a copy of each of the games as well as the soundtrack. Because, if I owned it, Sakura would be a different story (but would still exist :P), Jr. x MOMO would be canon (CANNON! XD), Citrine and Ziggy would have more screen time because they deserve to, Allen would not have a dorky swimsuit, Olivia Hack wouldn't be Shion's voice actress in XSII, Bridgett Hoffman (KOS-MOS) would have an astronomical paycheck, Cristina Pucelli (MOMO) and Brianne Siddall (Jr.) would have more credit than they realize, MOMO would have a bit of a bigger role in XSIII, Jin wouldn't have a loincloth for a swimsuit in XSII, Silver Duet (Jr. and MOMO's double tech) would have much more power than a simple 1600 HP damage, Crispin Freeman's (Albedo/Gaignun) autograph will be discreetly distributed among Albedo and Gaignun fangirls (and fanboys) and I'd give a free Bunnie plush doll to all Jr. x MOMO fangirls (and fanboys, if they want).

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**Chapter Three - It's Second Miltia! Holy Crap!** (how spoileriffic)

Jr. opened his eyes as he awoke from his roughly 4-hour sleep. He could recognize the time without having to look at a clock. It's 6:00 AM. He made an effort to pull himself up into a sitting position, his back still asleep. Jr. yawned with a mouth opened wide, five flies can go in without a problem. He stretched up his arms as if it were the most natural thing to do in the world. His companions, Hammer (the navigator), Tony (the pilot) and Allen, were still sound asleep around him. At seeing that, he smiled. Matthews, the ship captain, wasn't in the room. He probably snoozed off in his highchair while the Professor and his assistant, Scott, would probably be asleep on the research tables. His other companions were in the other cabin, as they are females, Shion, Mary and Shelley, of which he assumed to be still asleep like the rest of the crew was. He jumped off the bed with a thud, as he landed on his butt instead of his legs. Jr. still wasn't used to his man body. One day, being the "little" boy he was, he suddenly felt incredibly sharp pain on his bones and muscles. He felt as if they were enlarging or something. The crew couldn't do a thing about it. Even Shion, the supporter of their party when all seven of them were still together, wasn't able to do anything to ease that pain. Maybe MOMO could have done something. After all, she had been the best healer Jr. ever met. The pain eased on its own, but when it did, he realized that he wasn't carrying his twelve-year-old demeanor anymore. He looked like a younger Gaignun but with red hair and sapphire eyes. He looked as if he was in his late teenage years, between 17 and 19 or something. It's been over a year since that happened, but he still wasn't used to it.

With a sigh, he picked himself up. His thoughts wandered over to the time when he left MOMO. Left. He left her. That's right, he left her without hesitation when she was willing to come along with them, despite knowing that they have absolutely no hell of an idea where to start except for the clues left behind by a FRAGMENTED Y-Data. It could have been all pointless, but he left otherwise. He wondered how she would be doing now. When would be the next time they would meet? How could he explain what in God's name happened to his appearance to her? Would they really meet again? Because, really, now he isn't sure if they would meet again, since they haven't crossed human civilization for three months. They wondered if they were actually still within the bounds of human civilization. Nothing shows up on the radar except out of place asteroids and meteors that have lost their way. He could very well say that he regretted leaving her behind. Jr. longed to hear MOMO's cute little giggles again, he wanted to feel MOMO's hug again. The last time he'd heard her giggle was on THAT day. When he left her behind. When she had told Shion that she wanted to come with them, but Shion had turned her down and had convinced her to stay. He couldn't believe himself. All he did that day was bid her goodbye, he didn't even give her a nice farewell hug or something. He wondered if MOMO would hate him for doing so, but really, how could MOMO bring herself to hate anything or anyone? Even after what Albedo did to her three years ago, MOMO still attempted to make friendly contact with him, asking Jr. to say "Hello" to Albedo for her. Shoot. He forgot.

Jr. wanted to strike his head hard on a platinum wall. Real hard.

_"Why don't you keep your sentimental and disturbing thoughts to yourself?" _a familiar voice had said.

That caused him to suddenly jump up in surprise. Albedo. There's no mistaking it.

_"Yo, Rubedo," _Albedo called out. It's not as if they weren't in the same body. Hardly.

"I thought you went to sleep!" Jr. said, striking the air.

_"I didn't. Quite unfortunately, you genius tactic didn't work." _he said simply, but with a hint of sarcasm.

Jr. just grunted unintelligibly in reply to that. He didn't really feel like arguing with his little brother right now. He pulled off his striped red and white PJs and slipped into his usual outfit, a black leather jacket over a gray T-shirt, a necklace which has a silver charm that looked like a ribbon for cancer patients, dark red pants with brown holsters to hold his guns and brown cowboy boots. His outfit from when he left didn't really change, it was as if the outfit grew with him. As any other newly-awakened person would look like, his hair was very unruly, sticking out frantically at all directions. He grabbed a simple comb from a shelf that hung above his bed and attempted to fix his hair.

_"You going on a date or something?" _Albedo asked when he noticed Jr. absentmindedly combing as if he were making himself look handsome for someone.

"Hmph," was all Jr. said to him.

Jr. placed his comb back into the shelf and quietly walked out of the room in an attempt to not wake up his snoozing (and drooling) companions. The metal doors opened as he passed through and then closed behind him. He walked a bit down the hall and entered the Elsa Lounge. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, Shion would say when Jr. refused to eat his meal. Oddly enough, Shion walked around the Elsa like a mother figure to everyone, despite being one of the youngest there. Since Mary cooked horribly and Shelley doesn't "specialize" in kitchen work, Shion did most of the cooking. When he entered the lounge he half-expected to find no one there, but to his surprise, he found Shion, whom he thought was still asleep, carefully setting plates on the lounge tables. Jr. could smell the fragrance of Shion's curry coming from inside the kitchen. The scent stimulated his appetite, as he does love Shion's curry. Suddenly, he remembered what Boss, from Moby Dick's, had told him and chaos three years ago.

_"Really? Shion is carrying on my curry recipe? Ha, if I was 20 years younger, I'd ask her to marry me!"_

Now that made him laugh.

Shion, upon hearing his laugh, looked up and spotted him standing by the door. She wore the same thing she usually did, a dark blue and white denim half-jacket over a black corset that exposed her navel, brown short shorts, black stockings and shoes that matched the color scheme of her jacket while her bangs were carefully clipped away as the rest of her brown hair hung loose. Shion didn't really worry about her clothing much, as she has duplicates of that same outfit hanging in her closet. With a smile, she approached Jr. and asked, "You hungry now?"

"Sort of," he said while scratching the back of his head.

"OK," Shion said simply. She turned around and headed inside the kitchen with a plate in her hand, probably to get him his share of the delicious curry.

Jr. sat on a tall blue stool by the counter as he waited for Shion's curry. He stared on a blank wall behind the counter, as if by staring on it, he could somehow bore a hole on it, but he was just really lost in thought.

Minutes passed when Shion came out of the kitchen, holding a plateful of curry. She carefully placed it in front of Jr., thinking that he'd suddenly chomp down on it like he used to do, but he didn't. Instead, he continued to stare on the wall like some autistic man. Shion waved a hand in front of his face in an attempt to wake him up from his trance, but he didn't even blink. She thought smacking him would do the trick, but she would probably get a good gunning later for it. Shion did so anyway, smacking him with only minimal force.

"Whoa!" Jr. exclaimed as he almost fell off his seating, only by clutching on to the counter was he able to prevent his fall.

Shion laughed, "Sorry about that. You wouldn't even blink or bat an eyelash, you were just staring at the wall so..."

Jr. laughed as well, "It's all right."

With that, he started chomping down on Shion's curry like there's no tomorrow.

Suddenly, the doors opened as a flurry of noisy people entered. Hammer, Tony, Allen, Scott, the Professor and Matthews all came in at the same time, trying to squeeze themselves through the door. Shion and Jr. could hear Mary screaming "ONE AT A TIME, ONE AT A TIME!" from behind while Shelley just walked patiently behind them, as if there was no barricade of noisy men in front of her. The sight could make one drop to the ground laughing insanely.

The impatient and obnoxious men then stumbled forward, hitting the floor face first. Mary walked by with a loud laugh while Shelley continued on as if there was nothing on the ground to laugh at. Tony and Hammer suddenly rose from the ground in quick recovery and exclaimed at Jr., "Little Master, you went ahead already?!"

"Yeah. What's it to ya?" he snapped at them with a laugh. It contradicts his appearance, but everyone still calls him Little Master. Everyone has grown so accustomed to it that it wouldn't seem right if they didn't call him with that name.

Shion suddenly interrupted as she held a large pot filled with her curry, and everyone helped themselves to it until they've had their fill. Leaving Shion with less than what she bargained for.

"I SO don't get paid enough for this," she said as she ate her curry, or what's left of it anyway.

"Exactly, because we don't pay you at all," Jr. joked. He had helped Shion with the dishes ever since Shion had volunteered to cook for them since everyone else was too lazy to do it and today was no exception. Jr. thought it was ridiculous though, because who has ever heard of a leader being a dishwasher boy?

Shion rolled her eyes, but laughed at the comment anyway. She has changed much from before. Instead of being the harsh and Kevin-obsessed woman she was two years ago, she was now a caring, cheerful and carefree mother figure to everyone. The three C's as Allen had pointed out so expertly. From Jr.'s knowledge, Shion and Allen had been a couple since some good nine months after they left for Lost Jerusalem.

Jr. and Shion has just finished the dishes when Matthews' voice came booming from the intercom, "HEY! GOOD NEWS EVERYONE! GET TO THE BRIDGE PRONTO!"

"What? Did we find the planet the Seraphim Sisters would perform in? The Captain has been droning about that for months on end," Jr. said to Shion.

Shion shrugged. "I don't know, but it sounds pretty important," she said.

Jr. nodded and they headed off for the bridge.

When they came to the bridge everyone else was there, it was jam-packed with rejoicing people. Tony and Hammer were dancing arm-in-arm like 5-year-old boys who were getting their dream toy, Mary had been jumping up and down like a cheerleader, Matthews had a smirk on his face and looked like he wanted to jump off his highchair in joy, Allen also danced around in merriment with Scott, the Professor jumped up and down frog-styled while clapping his hands together, even Shelley was smiling with hope glinted in her eyes.

Curiosity got better of them both and asked in unison, "What's up?"

"We found our way to Second Miltia!" Tony and Hammer replied, still dancing.

"Say what?" Jr. asked in surprise.

"The Elsa had been on autopilot last night. It seemed that we were nearby Second Miltia and the Elsa headed there, Little Master," Mary said joyfully.

Shion blinked in confusion, "Coincidence or what?" she asked.

Jr. shrugged.

After five seconds, Jr. and Shion realized that they too, were dancing around in circles.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, that was rushed. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that. :P

Now they can finally change outfits! XD

Review please! I'd really appreciate it.

**~Summer**


	5. Together Once Again

**A/N: **OK, so this is Chapter Four. Really, I'd appreciate reviews. I welcome all CC, but not flames.

**DISCLAIMER: **I do NOT, in any way, own or claim that I own Xenosaga and everything and everyone in it except for a copy of the games and the soundtrack. Because, if I did, there... oh wait, you know that already.

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**Chapter Four - Together Once Again**

MOMO had been one of the most respected people in Scientia. She half-expected that she would be picked on by everyone else, as she was the youngest in the the New UMN project, or rather, the youngest in the whole of Scientia. It's not really impossible. After all, she started working there at the age of fifteen, and the older ones would want to tease the younger ones right? Not in her case. MOMO, now seventeen, is one of the most respected around. When she walks down the hallway, she'd find people smiling at her, waving "hello" or something. For that, she was really grateful that she was welcome in the organization. She had been recognized as one of the best and the smartest there and it's a great honor, as Scientia IS one of the best when it comes to technology and all that.

The UMN has been lost, all right. Scientia had made arrangements for the construction of a "New UMN", which should be named UMS (Unus Mundus Stream) as suggested by MOMO. Of course, you can't put together an awesome network with trade columns and all that in two years flat. Heck, they haven't even figured out HOW to construct one of those stupid columns, but they can't live in the dark forever. It won't be much different with life back in the New Stone age, except that in this time and day water dispensers self-destruct when they're busted. With the lucky finding of long-lost ancient documents, Scientia has quickly assembled something that may be similar to a network. Not as spectacular and convenient as the UMN, but it's still a good temporary replacement while the REAL new network is in construction. The technology is ancient, used in the 21st Century back in Lost Jerusalem, when people used a network called the Internet to go about with their stuff. MOMO felt content with that technology, since the people back then survived with that technology alone haven't they? But things are different now. They NEED the technology against the Gnosis. Unfortunately, not all Gnosis went to Michtam that time. Some were left behind. Although they aren't enough to form a 50,000 man armada, they were still many.

Okay, so MOMO hasn't really slept well for six months now, but looking at her, one would think she had nothing to stress about. The perfect face. A well-renowned supermodel swooned upon by men all over the star cluster had no match against her. Her vibrant amber eyes always shine with carefree delight, her lips are perfectly figured with a shade of the perfect pinkish red, she had a perfectly upturned nose and her face was colored with a smooth gentle white complexion without a flaw. She stood tall and slim complete with a dress that hugs her curves so well. If she's beautiful on the outside, she's even more beautiful inside. Despite her looks, she still retained that innocence she had before. She was still the girl who covered her eyes when someone was getting beat up. She still wears cute berets when she feels like it. Heck, she still has the life-sized Bunnie plushie Jr. bought her sitting in her room back home. She'd been sought after by numerous good-looking and reputable men all around, but she never looked at any of them any more than friends. Only one man has been able to win her heart, but he left her two years ago. It's sad, really. How can someone leave her like that? What an idiot. What a bastard. What a moron. That's what all the MOMO-supporting gossipers say.

Today is an unusually free day. Most usually, MOMO's days on Scientia are chaotic, hectic and downright busy. For some reason, everyone is laid-back today. It felt like there was something to celebrate about that she didn't know. She came in late that day, despite her being up since midnight. Her eyes blinked with confusion. Is there anything to rejoice about?

MOMO stood by her console screen in her usual workstation in the Second Miltian Scientia Base. Scientia has its real base on the Dammerung, but the main UMS project stood on Second Miltia. She tilted her head in curiosity as she saw her workmates uttering happy whispers. Suddenly, a chipper and nearly jumping brunette woman came in.

MOMO, taking notice of the woman, asked, "What's everyone so excited about, Miyuki?"

"Oh, MOMO," she said, taking the pink-haired girl's hands, "The Elsa has landed!"

"The... Elsa?" she asked. Elllllsssssaaaaaaa. She repeated the word as if it had seven syllables. Ellllllsssssssaaaaaa.

"YES!" Miyuki said. Now really jumping.

MOMO's mouth flew open, her jaw dropping to the ground. The Elsa, here? Have they found Lost Jerusalem already? Or are they just stopping by to say "Hello" to everybody? Whatever the case, it certainly is something to be joyful for. She'd finally see _him _again. She'd have to provide an explanation for her appearance later, but right now she just HAS to run there and hug each of the Elsa Crew.

"Where are they now?" MOMO asked Miyuki, suppressing her excitement.

"There!" Miyuki said, pointing outside. Meaning the Second Miltian Spaceport.

"There?" MOMO asked quizzically.

Miyuki laughed nervously, embarrassed. "Sorry. Let me show you the way." she said. Then she grabbed MOMO's hand and practically dragged her along the way.

Miyuki ran and ran as if she were running a sports marathon that she just HAD to win. She never exhausted, although MOMO behind her was lagging terribly and needed to pick up her lungs that she must have dropped along the way. Sure, she, too, was excited about the Elsa arrival, but she can't handle running like Miyuki does! By the time they came to the dock of the Spaceport, MOMO had been hyperventilating badly, part of it was to scare Miyuki and most of it because she was dead tired. MOMO tried to recover quickly and fixed her unruly hair before they'd meet again. Sure, he'd probably be drop dead shocked to see her like this while he was still his twelve-year-old self, but still...

"SHION!" Miyuki exclaimed, waving both hands in the air as they both spotted a large number of people walking out of the dock.

"Miyuki, MOMO!" she exclaimed as she ran to them and practically glomped them both. Sure, Miyuki used to be the junior who really annoyed Shion, but they were friends. As for MOMO, she used to be the little girl whom she felt close to, and maybe she still does feel close to the girl. Then she noticed something strange. MOMO was tall and they were about the same height. Shion realized that MOMO had grown, and her jaw dropped on the ground.

MOMO giggled at Shion's expression. "I'll explain everything else later," she assured her.

Then, MOMO spotted the man she'd been waiting for all along come up suddenly behind Shion. At the sight of him, MOMO's jaw dropped to the ground, and he did the same. They had both grown. Neither could believe what they saw.

"Uh... Jr.?" MOMO asked, as if doubting whether or not the man in front of her was really Jr.

"MOMO?" he asked, also thinking the same thing.

In unison, they nodded.

Shion tapped Jr.'s shoulder and whispered, "She says she'll explain things later."

Jr. just nodded and then he smiled at MOMO.

"Hey, long time no see."

MOMO returned his smile, but said nothing.

Crap. MOMO's more beautiful than when he last saw her. That time she was just cute. Now she's not just cute, she's breathtaking, transcendent. Her hair was long and all was swept clean in a one-sided right-side ponytail. Her skin looked whiter than ever, but not sickly white. It was gentle white without a flaw. The kind of skin you'd want to run your fingers across on. The only thing he saw that was whiter than her skin was her teeth, which really moved him when he saw her smile. Her golden eyes remained as vibrant as ever, it was like staring into the sun, but only with a very pleasant feeling. Her perfectly upturned nose finalized her face so well, and her pinkish red lips just tempted him to go on ahead and kiss her. Wait, what? Since when did he feel like that? He knew that he might have had strong feelings for MOMO back then, but it didn't go THAT far, as much as he could remember. It doesn't stop there, MOMO's dress, however decent it is, got him so dumbstruck and weak on the knees like hell. All she wore really is a red, knee-length, strapless dress (that REALLY hugged MOMO's curves, like most of her dresses do) covered over with a black velvety half-jacket and matching red gladiators. It's normal and still pretty decent (from his experience with Shion, who wears a denim half-jacket over an exposed corset), but what makes him so attracted to her like the North Pole is to the South Pole of a magnet? That's it, she's the South Pole of a magnet, and he's the other half. She's pulling him towards her whether she likes it or not, as he is the North Pole. Dang. Stupid magnet.

Seeing Jr. really made MOMO smile. She really expected to see a small guy with a twelve-year-old demeanor come running up to them. It's pretty awkward and ironic that they both grew, since Jr. was NOT really supposed to grow. Like before, they looked like they were of the same age, even though technically, Jr. is twelve years older. He's 29 and she's 17. It's funny how she had feelings for this certain hyper redhead. She thought that if she first met Jr. at that adult form of his, she would think of him as an older brother or something, but she met Jr. in his twelve-year-old suit, and that might have been one of the reasons why she felt something for him, because they looked like they were of the same age who understood each other well, as they were supposed to be peers. Why had she started to like him anyway? It's true that he's handsome like his younger brother, Gaignun Kukai, but there was something she saw in him that she didn't see in other guys who she might have been better off with. Maybe it was his protectiveness? Really, the first and most important reason why he protected her was because of a promise he made to her older sister, Sakura, who was his first love, puppy love maybe, but love nonetheless. If he never made that promise, if Sakura had not made him promise, he would probably never give her the time in any day. Ironic. She fell for some guy who was only with her because of her older sister. It made her jealous. It's so not MOMO. At least that's what she thinks.

The voices of their other friends interrupted their train of thought. The energetic blonde with a southern accent came running up to MOMO with her sister, a calm purple-haired woman, trailed silently behind her with a small smile on her lips. The blonde raved on and on about how happy she was to see MOMO again and how surprised she was upon seeing her in her new body. The purple-haired woman looked surprised too, but kept her thoughts to herself. She greeted MOMO too with a smile.

Allen came by and waved a simple "Hello." to MOMO and Miyuki. The way he'd greeted them seemed kind of like he was just meeting them after a day's absence. Weird.

The rest of the Elsa Crew, Hammer, Tony and Captain Matthews, also said their hello's to MOMO.

MOMO admits it. She was overjoyed to see her friends again. After not seeing them for two years, it made her feel so relieved that they were all alive and normal. Except for Jr.'s appearance and Shion's seemingly new hyperness, all was same. Seeing all her stuff that somehow connected her to her friends made her sad because she missed them like crazy. Sure, her mother, Juli Mizrahi, and the cyborg she looks at as her father figure, Ziggurat 8 or "Ziggy" as MOMO puts it, were there to keep her company. Even the too upbeat brunette scientist who was Shion's junior back in Vector Industries, Miyuki Itsumi, came by Scientia for a few visits and to give a helping hand, even if she was the one who mess things up most of the time. The close bonds she had formed with her friends made her sad, as their bonds were broken by distance. They're not all here, as the silent chaos, the wise Jin and the formerly-stoic KOS-MOS were all on Lost Jerusalem, and the travelers haven't found Lost Jerusalem yet, as she had seen on their faces when they came in. While they're here, she might as well bind together all the broken ties that was severed by the distance she had with her friends.

"Anyone up for Moby Dick's or something?" Shion asked them, interrupting her train of thought.

All cheered.

"Let's go then!" Shion said, grabbing Allen by the arm and practically dragging him out the Spaceport.

Now that was weird. Shion's hyper. Not as hyper as Miyuki but still...

MOMO's head suddenly perked up, "Wait! I'm going to call Doctus and tell her I'm on a break."

"Doctus? She's here?" Shion asked, looking back.

MOMO nodded. Then, she pulled out a mobile device from her black velvety bag. The mobile device was covered in silicon pink with two sets of black keypads (one set is numerical while the other is of the English alphabet and the punctuation marks, arranged carefully using the old "QWERTY" style) similar to those of an ancient PC, it has an average-sized screen, topped off with a Bunnie figure on the top. Shion could see an antennae, one of the whatchamacallits from ancient technology, carefully folded by the side.

"Uh... what's that thing?" Shion asked.

MOMO giggled, "It's one of the things we have developed to temporarily replace the UMN. It's not as convenient, but still pretty nice. It's a product of ancient technology, and only very few of us have one, mostly the higher-ups. They used to call this a cellular phone back in Lost Jerusalem, but most just say CP or cellphone," she said in a matter-of-factly tone, and then she continued to jab things using the keypads.

Jr. raised an eyebrow, "A cellphone, huh," he said simply.

"Yup," MOMO said just as simply in reply. Shion then approached her, or the mobile thingy rather, and took a peek.

_'Doctus, do you mind if I get a day-off? I'm sure you've heard of the Elsa Landing. I REALLY want to spend some time with them, you know, like a get-together or something. Please? Thank you :)'_

"Pretty cool," Shion said. From the tone of her voice, she sounded like she really meant it.

MOMO giggled. Then when she was done, she tucked it in her black velvety back and they all headed to the exit of the Spaceport together. Jr. lagged a bit behind.

MOMO turned her head and saw that Jr. was walking slowly with his head bent down like he was on a procession or something. With concern, she asked him, "Jr., are you okay?"

Jr. looked up at the sound of her voice and said, "Yeah."

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**A/N: **Crap. I think I crapped up this chapter.

Review please! Thanks! MOMO has a cool cellphone with internet connection! XD

**~Summer**


	6. Ice Breaking Coincidences

**A/N: **It took me more than a YEAR to get back here. Are there actually still readers left? :-s Thank you for the reviews though. I appreciate them a lot. My very long hiatus is over. It's summer here and I'm raring to write again.

**DISCLAIMER: **I do NOT, in any way, own or claim that I own Xenosaga and everything and everyone in it.

* * *

**Chapter Five - Ice-Breaking Coincidences**

Boss had given the gang special treatment in his cafe, Moby Dick's, due to Shion's presence. He had been thrilled to see Shion again, and after he was introduced to the rest of the gang he wasn't that familiar with (the Elsa crew), he gave them the best seats in the cafe and the best food was laid out for them with a generous discount. The twelve sat on three four-man tables. Shion, Allen, Jr., and MOMO in the first, Mary, Shelley, Miyuki and the Professor in the second and Matthews, Scott, Tony and Hammer in the third.

"Whoa, this place still has that same antique feel. I like it," Jr. raves as he scarfs down his meal. "The food's still delicious too!"

MOMO, as she happened to be sitting across from him, asked, "You've been here before?"

"Yeah, chaos and I met Jin here. It was after we landed on Second Miltia three years back. It's good to know some things still haven't changed," he replied.

"Yeah," came MOMO's simple response.

Shion had purposely sat the two in the same table along with herself and Allen. She thought it might help break the ice between them, but obviously it's not enough. So she thought of starting conversation. "So, MOMO, how come Boss knows you? Are you a regular customer here?"

"Uh-huh. Since the UMN Control Center was originally here on Second Miltia, Doctus thought it would be better if the Control Center for the new network was stationed in the same place. I come here during breaks or days off since the food is absolutely delicious and the atmosphere is relaxing."

"And how's research going?" Jr. queried.

MOMO sighed. "We haven't figured out how to make an appropriate network replacement for the UMN, so we used ancient technology as a temporary replacement."

"If you don't mind me asking, where _did_ Scientia find the files for ancient technology? I doubt they would just appear out of nowhere." Truly, Shion and everyone else was curious on how they set-up a temporary replacement. Even if the technology was ancient, it wasn't easy to set it up, let alone locate the files that contained the details.

"It was a few months after you guys left." Slowly, people started getting quiet and leaned toward MOMO's table to get a better hear of what she's about to say. "The research we had done was not very useful and produced nothing. People have it hard with no UMN to make travel from planet to planet with the lack of UMN columns. The usual communication through Connection Gears and UMN Phones are also not available. We knew we couldn't keep going like that much longer, so the idea to for a temporary replacement came up. Many had suggested to use ancient technology. The one that was used back in Lost Jerusalem. Of course, no one knew what exactly that was. Scientia had a small number of files about them. It could get us started but it won't be enough to actually make a network."

"So how did you get the network up if there was a lack of files?" Allen interrupted.

"Be quiet, Allen, the story's just about to get good," Shion said.

"Well, mom and I went home one day. I suppose her busy schedule made her neglect her cleaning of the house. We didn't have housekeepers because we were rarely home anyway. On days we were actually home, we came there to rest and nothing else. But we had a day off so mom decided to clean out the house. She started with the library, which was the messiest room in the whole house. She found these really thick folders left behind by daddy."

"There were files left behind by Joachim Mizrahi?" Jr. said shockingly. "Wouldn't the government have laid their hands on them already a long time ago? Anything made by Mizrahi was considered valuable especially if it might have related to the Y-Data."

"Yes, but these were personal files. Most probably documents that he kept for himself only, even his assistants didn't know about their existence. He must have left it behind specially for mom. There were journal entries personally made by him during his working days. Apparently he also had knowledge of ancient technology. Not everything, but it was what we needed to get the network running. His files also contained very many details about... how I came to be. Many secrets about me were left there and that was how I came to be like _this_," she replied, meaning her new grown body, "It was like daddy really meant for me to live my life like a human being. He let me grow up!" MOMO was speaking happily now as she recollected the joy she had in that night she discovered that there was more to her life than she thought there was.

Jr. obviously had questions to ask, but Mary, popping up from the neighboring table, came first in her charming Southern accent, "Secret files by Joachim Mizrahi? Well, that's ones heck of a discovery! But why did you only find it then, fifteen years after your daddy died?"

"We... don't know. All we know was that it was stowed away with mom's other files and books. He must have found a way to leave them with mom's items before the Miltian Conflict. It's probably because mom's more important records were always with her that she didn't bother sorting out the less important ones at home. We didn't stay much on the subject though. All that mattered was that we had enough to go on for a temporary network and we discovered how I could grow up."

"It still sounds suspicious though," says Jr. "Could your mother really have taken fifteen years to uncover files that was within her own? What makes you think it's really Professor Mizrahi's?"

"It has his signature and everything. Plus, only daddy could possibly know all those things."

"I suppose..." Jr. mutters.

"Oh come on, Jr., stop worrying," Shion abated. "The information did do a lot of wonders, both for MOMO and our future. Why question its legitimacy now? Besides, Juli Mizrahi is a busy woman who's hopping from planet to planet in important missions and is almost never in her real home. On the other hand, you, dishwasher boy, have been on a small freighter for two years and you can't even bring your dirty laundry to the wash that's ten paces away from your bed! If you can't keep yourself organized, then I'm pretty sure Juli can't."

"Yeah! It's Shion who cleans up after Little Master!" cheers Tony from the other table.

Almost everyone laughs. Even MOMO, who's now mature enough to handle jokes about men's dirty laundry, stifles back a giggle.

Jr. takes out one of his guns but points it to no one and stands on his chair. "Say one more word about my habits and you'll all be cleaning out my dirty underwear for the rest of your lives!"

"God, Jr., gross!" Shion said as she smacked his legs for him to be seated.

The rest of the meal goes by without incident and was filled with laughter. Fortunately, no one was "accidentally" gunned down by Jr. and some of the ice between him and MOMO had started to melt down.

* * *

"Right," Jr. announced as he happily patted his full belly. "So who's paying the bill?"

"Well, considering you ate more than the rest of us, I think you should pay the bill," spoke Shion.

"What? But weren't you the one who invited us to eat here in Moby Dick's? You should pay the bill!" he argued.

"Well, considering I cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for everyone everyday, I think you should be the one paying for this one meal!"

Shion and Jr.'s arguing went on and on. MOMO turned to Allen and whispered, "Do they argue like that a lot?"

Allen laughs. "Oh, yes. They always argue over little things like this. No one bothers to break them up because they get the matter resolved almost as immediately as they start a fight. Shion's become a lot easier to work with. She became more carefree and cheerful. Of course, old habits die hard. I think she still has that old control-freakishness that scares me." Allen shuddered which caused MOMO to laugh.

"Did you just say I'm a control freak, Allen?" Shion asks sharply.

"No! No, I didn't!" he covers.

MOMO giggled inside. The years had changed all of them, but it was good to know there was that old spark in each of them that still burned. She liked Shion better now that she seemed a lot sunnier than before, but somehow her old intimidating and debating self comforted MOMO. Jr. had changed physically, but to her he was still that same old fiery protective gun-toting 12-year-old-looking man. It just seemed harder to talk with the shock that accompanied their reunion, but the situation could still be remedied later. After all, he was still Jr. He was still that same Jr. she loved.

"Well, we were given a generous discount. It shouldn't be a problem on anyone's pocket... right?" MOMO heard Allen say.

"Ha! Bringing Jr. along to any restaurant with delicious food would be the cause of problems on anyone's pocket!" Shion exclaimed.

Normally, MOMO would just shut up during senseless fights like this and let them handle themselves. But she was different now. "How about," she started. "we all equally chip in on paying the bill? That way, everyone has a share in paying for what they ate and no one has to take the full weight of the bill."

"That's a great idea, MOMO!" Shion said in approval. "But how about we just pay for what we ate by ourselves? You know the saying 'Every man for himself'?"

"No thanks, Shion. I like MOMO's idea better," Jr. says with a glance in MOMO's direction with what she thought was a small smile. He did genuinely like MOMO's idea but he said that partly because if they went with Shion's idea, he'd be the one paying the most.

In the end, Shion gave in with the equal-pay idea. The bill was divided among all twelve of them and everyone chipped in the required amount. They all said their thanks to Boss and bade him goodbye.

"So where does everyone plan to go next?" asked Miyuki once they were back on the streets.

"Well, Shion and I were planning to go do a bit of sightseeing around the city. You know, take in the city sights and civilization again," Allen replied.

Miyuki raised her eyebrow. "Oohhh, are you two dating now?"

"Dating? Us? Er... ah..." Allen stammered.

Shion laughed. "What are you stammering about, Allen? Yes, Miyuki, we're together now."

Miyuki's face lit up with surprise. "Really? Oh, I thought that was happening only in Allen's dreams! This is fantastic! I'm so happy for you guys!"

"Hey, what do you mean by 'only in Allen's dreams'?" he argued.

"Never mind her, Allen. Let's go!" Shion then went off with Allen in tow, off to go scour the city.

"Um, is anyone planning to go for a visit to the Control Center? I didn't actually ask for permission to get the day off..." Miyuki muttered.

"Oh, we want to visit! Are we allowed to see how the development of the new system is going?" said Scott.

"Well, no, the new network's progress is still top-secret, even I don't know what's really going on there. But you're allowed to see how the temporary network operates."

"Well, that's the next best thing," the Professor stated. "I'd like to see this temporary network. Maybe I could devise a new Erde Kaiser that operates with this temporary system. Scott, let us proceed!"

"See you guys later!" Miyuki waves as she runs off with Scott and the Professor to the Control Center.

Mary and Shelley went sightseeing as well, Tony and Hammer went looking for "kick-ass arcades" while Captain Matthews said he needed a nap but that was probably just an excuse for him to look for a bar and maybe a few girls. And so that leaves MOMO and Jr. by themselves.

"Well, that's just great. They all left us by ourselves," he side-glanced at MOMO, still surprised at her new appearance and how he was just so dumbstruck by it. "So... would you like to go for a walk or somethin'?"

"Sure."

Jr. found that Second Miltia didn't change much except for the new tower-like structures here and there that held antennae. He still couldn't make much sense of the temporary network, let alone the mobile device MOMO had used earlier to contact Doctus. He was truly curious of what the network could do and couldn't help staring at the towers as he and MOMO walked walked. He almost slammed into a wall if MOMO didn't talk.

"You want to know what they do?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, that tower," MOMO said as she pointed to a distant, very tall and very thick metal post with a triangular shape about a hundred feet up, "is a cellular phone tower. It connects a phone to another phone during calls or in sending messages using radiofrequency waves which are forms of non-ionizing radiation."

"So that cellphone thing is what people use now to communicate?" Jr. inquires.

"There's another way, too. We use the telephone."

Jr. blinked. "There's another kind of phone?"

"Yes. Cellular phones are mobile devices. You can carry them anywhere. Telephones are bigger than cellular phones and most of them are hooked up to a telephone line which is attached to a phone pole with various other telephone lines. Much like the cellular phone, the telephone lines allow voices to move back and forth in communication. Both telephones and cellular phones are assigned a certain series of numbers, like an ID number, which we dial in order to contact that certain phone. We're having a cordless phone developed, since it's more convenient than the usual telephone which is just stationary."

"Wait, wait, so these phones only allow voice communication?"

"Yes. Video calls can be made only through the Internet as of now."

"What the hell is an Internet?"

MOMO laughed as Jr. asked. It was strange, perhaps, that most people were totally clueless about this ancient technology even though they already existed thousands of years ago. People reacted to them as if they were brand-new technology when they knew that these were what the ancestors of their ancestors of their ancestors used during their time. At the same time, maybe it was because it was so distant in the past when they were last used that amazed the people. It must have amazed them that people lived then in much less convenience than they did in the past, with all the stress of having to pick up a signal, stationary telephone lines, dead batteries and broken cellphone towers, but were able to live just fine.

MOMO narrated to Jr. the small wonders the Internet could do: emails, source for research, fast communication (complete with video calls if the user owns a webcam), sharing media, playing games and a lot more. The Internet existed for just a bit over a year, but a lot of people have availed of it already. Internet service was expensive and available only on PCs at the time. They were also hooked up on DSL phone cords so they were stationary. The cheaper internet was called dial-up which made use of a telephone network (therefore making the telephone unusable while on the Internet) and ran a lot slower than the DSL connection. This was for those who lived in rather far-off areas that had low demand or those who couldn't afford DSL just yet. Wireless interlinking between digital devices, not just PCs alone, was still undergoing development. However, special people in Scientia like MOMO have personalized cellular phones installed with wireless broadband, another internet method soon to be released and was then exclusive to only them, so they are able to access the Internet anywhere, but it cost a bit too and it was still a bit slower than the DSL but it was definitely faster than dial-up.

Jr. raved in amazement as MOMO told him what form of communication people used before they finished developing the phones: snail mail. Those were personal, handwritten letters complete with a sealed envelope, mailing stamp and addresses. Sure, people used snail mail before, but usually it was just for sending greeting cards and most weren't actually handwritten. Snail mail were deposited in post offices scattered around cities in planets and docks and spaceports out in space and the hired men set out in ships (in normal flight!) from planet to planet, dock to dock just to deliver mail. It was slow, but it was personal and valuable. After the development and release of cellular phones and telephones, snail mail remained for personal communication with other planets for delivering packages and for people who couldn't afford the Internet since cellular phones and telephones only allow intra-planetary communication.

Of course, these only solved communication problems. The travelling problems caused by the loss of the UMN weren't helped much except that they had a way to communicate.

"So you still have no clue as to where Lost Jerusalem is?" MOMO asked to Jr. They were both seated on a bench in a park built near the Control Center, a bit tired from walking.

"Not a clue. We've been wandering around aimlessly these past couple years. We lost track of the planets approximately seven months after we left. We haven't stumbled into a single planet. It was lucky there were docks and spaceports out there to rest, refuel and take resources, or else we would have starved to death. Some spaceports even let us do some work so we can earn some extra money for future use. Luckily, we don't stumble into any trouble. Michtam must have sucked up those Gnosis pretty good."

"About the Gnosis... we think there's still some left."

"What? How can that be?"

"Well, we used to believe that the Gnosis are gone, but we still send out a few aircrafts for patrolling. It was dangerous at first since we lacked forms of communication with them, but no incidents happened during that time. When we compiled daddy's files with Scientia's files, we agreed that the first thing we develop for the temporary network was a form of communication between aircrafts above the atmosphere with us back in the Control Center. There was this file about radio communication from space to planet and it was pretty detailed. We quickly worked out a few researches and then designs then we had people construct the required equipment. After a few tests we determined it was good to go official, so it did."

"Let me guess, Gnosis appeared after the release of this radio communication thing?"

MOMO nodded. "Well, there were only a few. They also didn't attack. It was like they were... wandering."

"Well, that doesn't make much sense." Jr. leans back on the bench, puts both hands behind his head and props up one foot on his knee with the ankle touching. "How often do they appear?"

"Rarely. Probably just six times in the past two years."

"Were you already... you know, grown when the Gnosis first appeared?"

"Not yet. We prioritized the radio communication. It was after that when we did the preparations for my, uh, growing-up stage." MOMO paused for a while as if remembering something. After a few seconds, she perked up, "Oh! I remembered something. After the process, Gnosis appeared again. Wandering, just like before. They were about the same number and same kind of Gnosis. The pilots believe they were the exact same Gnosis from when the radio communication was first launched, but it's also possible that they're not."

Jr. seemed to pick up on an idea. "Were there any special circumstances that happened during the next four Gnosis appearances?"

"The third was during the release of telephones in Second Miltia. The fourth was the day cellphone towers were finished building in Fifth Jerusalem. The fifth was a month ago when the higher-ups of Scientia, including me, obtained personalized cellphones installed with wireless broadband. The sixth was actually just last night."

"Did anything specially happen last night?"

"Nothing of importance."

"Well, I don't know with last night's, but I think all these are connected, MOMO." Jr. puts on a serious face, the face that usually meant that there was something bothering him and it was worth worrying about.

"How so?" MOMO asked. If Jr. was worried about something, then it must really be a pressing issue.

"MOMO, I don't think it was mere coincidence that Gnosis appear on days of certain importance. I also think it was strange for the same kind and the same number of Gnosis to appear everytime. Didn't those aircrafts try attacking them?"

"They did..." MOMO hesitated.

"What is it, MOMO? What happened?"

"They used the Hilbert Effect to materialize the Gnosis. Problem is... they didn't."

"What?"

MOMO recalled the incident and looked troubled. "They didn't materialize. They stayed translucent. We expected them to attack, but they just passed by as if no one just used the Hilbert Effect on them."

Jr. abruptly stood up. "Hey, MOMO, do you think Doctus would mind if I fiddled around with those aircrafts you guys used for patrolling?"

"She probably will. Why?"

"I'm really interested in this. I want to see the equipment on those crafts, along with some footage of those Gnosis. Wait, you _do _have footage right?"

"Of course."

"Well, then what are we waiting for?" Jr. walked a few steps forward then looked back at the still-seated MOMO. "Come on, MOMO!"

MOMO smiled, stood up and walked with Jr. to the Control Center. It wasn't exactly the kind of reunion she wanted to have. She expected them to run to each others arms and hug the second they saw each other. But there were special circumstances that were unknown to the other that affected their reunion, which reminded MOMO that she still had to ask Jr. why he grew up too. It would have to wait. As of the time, MOMO was happy she had time to spend with just Jr.

* * *

**A/N: **My writing skills had gotten a little rusty :( I feel like I lack in details... or maybe I'm just paranoid, or maybe I just really like insulting my own work XD This chapter was a bit difficult to make, and I'm sorry if I bored you with the technology talk. I think I bored myself writing it XD Oh, and I didn't have much of an idea on the details I wrote about the telephones, cellphones, Internet methods etcetera. I googled them and I found the details on Wikipedia. Things are just about to get interesting...

R&R and CC appreciated a lot.

The hardest thing to write about in a post-XSIII fic like this is the network issue. I did research before writing, of course. To my understanding of the articles I found on the net (and the XS database), the UMN allows FTL (faster-than-light) Communication and transfer-flight methods and various other beyond-the-human-intellect stuff. Recall the meeting called in Fifth Jerusalem (XSIII, I believe... or was it XSI)? The representatives called to the meeting were on-screen through the FTL Connection provided by the UMN instead of attending in person. So yeah, I thought of addressing the communication problems posed by the loss of the UMN since it's probably easier to solve than the travelling problems.

I'm babbling XD Anyway, since that kind of topic is harder to grasp, I'm writing in how I understand it to be. So I'm sorry if you find any errors ^^

**DISCLAIMER: **I do NOT, in any way, own or claim that I own Xenosaga and everything and everyone in it.

_"What the hell is an Internet?"  
_**~Summer **


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